Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1887-08-19
TALMAGE ON INSURANCE..


The Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage's ssrSnth for
the 7th instant was on the important tSbject
Of 'Life and Fire Insurance: the Cur stian
Principles Involved" His text was, "Let
him appoint officers over the land, and take
up the fifth part Of the land of Egypi in the
seven plenteous years. "-Genesis XII, "a.
These were the words of Joseph, the presi-
dent of the first life insurance company that
the world ever saw. Pharaoh had is dream
that distracted him. He thought he stood on
the banks Of the river Nile and saw coming
up out of the river seven fat, sleek, glossy
cows, and they began 10 browse In the thick
grass. Nothing frightful about that. But
after them, coming out of the same river, he
saw seven cows that were gaunt and starved,
and the worst looking cows that had ever been
seen in the land, and in the ferocity Of hum
ger they devoured their seven fat predecessors.
Pharaoh, the king, sent for Joseph 70 de-
cipher these midnight hieroglyphics., Joseph
made short work Of 1t, and intimated the seven
fat cows that came out Of the river, are seven
years with plenty TO eat, the seven emaciated
cows that followed them are seven years with
nothing to eat. "Now,' said Joseph, ''let
us take one-fifth Of the corn crop of the seven
prosperous years and keep II as a provision
for the seven years in which there hid vi be no
corn crop" The king took the conpisel and
appointed Joseph, because of his iqlegrity and
public-spiritedness, as the president Of the un-
dertaking. The farmers paid one Gi,n of their
income as premium. In all the towns and
cities Of the land there were brancai houses.
This great Egyptian life insura nee company
had millions OF dollars as assets. After)a while
the dark days came, and the wholS nation
would have starved If it had not beea for the
provision they had made for the futs@k. But
now these suffering families had A5Rg to
DO but 90 up and collect the and y tbeir
Va ilcsss .-5Ytso -15i0D puts'It ln0Dc short
fdfase; ''ln oil the land Of Egypt there was
bread.u say this was the first life insurance
company. il was divinely organized. II had
in 1t all the advantages of the "whoe-life
plan," of the "tontine plan," of the ire
served.endowment plan" and all the other
good plans. We are told that Rev. DR.. An
hate, Of Lincolnshire, Eng, originated the FIRST
life insurance company in 1893. No 1t Is as
old as the corn-cribs of Egypt; and God Him
self was the author and originator. If that
were not SO would not take your time and
mine 10 Sabbath discussion Of this subject.
feel II is a theme vital, religious and of in
finite import--the morals Of life and fire in
surance.
About 10 or IL years ago there was great
panic in life insurance, which did good. I'm
der the storm the untrustworthy and bogus
institutions were scattered, while the genuine
were tested and firmly established, and where
does the life insurance stand to-day? What
amount of comfort, of education, Of moral and
spiritual advantage is represented in the sim
pie statistic that in this country the life insur
ance companies in one year paid 81, 900, 900 10
the families Of the bereft, and in Eve years
they paid $500, 900, 900 to the families Of the
bereft. and are promising to pay-and hold
themselves in readiness to pay-$2 900, 900, :
600 to the families OF the bereft
They have actually paid out more in divi-
dends and death claims than they have ever
received in premiums. know Of what
| speak. The life insurance companies Of this
country paid more than 5 1000, 900 Of taxes
TO the government in FIVE years. So, instead
| Of these companies being indebted To the land,
the land is indebted to them To cry outagainst
life insurance because here and there one COM
pany has behaved badly is as absurd as it would
be for man 10 burn down ], 900 acres Of har-
vest-6eld in order to kill the moles and potato
bugs-as preposterous as u man who should
blow up crowded steamer in mid-Atantic
for the purpose of destroying the barnaces on
the bottom Of the hulk.
But what does the Bible say in regard TO
this subject2 II the Bible favors the institu-
ton, will favor it; IL The Bible denounces
1t, | will denounce it. In addition 10 the
forecast of Joseph in the text, call to your
attention Pauls comparison. Here is one
man who, through neglect, fails to support
his family while he lives, or after he dies.
Here is another man who abhors the Scrip
lures and rejects God. Which of these is the
worse Well you say, the latter. Paul says the
former. Paul says that man who neglects to
care for his household is more obnoxious than
man who rejects the Scriptures; He that
provideth not for his own, and especially
those of his own household, is worse than an
inidel." Life insurance companies help most
of us to provide for our families after we are
gone but, II we have tie money 10 pay the
premiums and do not pay them, we have no
right TO expect mercy at the hands Of God
in the Judgment. We are worse than Tom
Paine, worse than Voltaire, and worse than
Shattesbury. The Bible declares tive are
worse. than an infidel.
After the certificate OF death has been made
out and 80 or 60 days have passed, and the
officer of life insurance company comes into
the bereft household and pays down the hard
cash on an insurance policy, that officer OF the
company is performing positively religious
rite according to the Apostle James, who says
True religion and undefiled before God and
the Father is this; To visit the fatherless and
widow in the their affection, and so on. The
religion Of Christ proposes to take .are Of the
temporal wants OF the people as well as the
spiritual. When Hezekiah was dying the in
junction came to him: "Set thy house In or
der, for thou shalt die and not live.n That
injunction in our day would mean: make
your will; settle up your accounts; make
things plain; don't deceive your heirs with
rolls OF worthless mining stock don't deceive
the with deeds for Western lands that will
never yield any crop but chills and fever
don't leave for them notes that have been out
awed, and second mortgages on property that
will not pay the first" "Set thy house in
order" That is, fix up things, so your going
out of the world may make as little consterna-
ton as possible. See the lean cattle devour-
ing the fat cattle, and in the time Of plenty
prepare for the time Of want. The difficulty
Is when men think Of their death they are
afraid TO think Of II only in connection with
their spiritual welfare, and not OF the devasta-
ton in the household which will come because
OF their emigration from II 1t Is meanly
selfish for you to be so absorbed in the Heaven
to which you are going that you forget what
isto become of your wife and children after
YOU are dead. You can 60 out Of this world
without leaving dollar and die happy IL ) GU
could not provide for them, you can trust
them in the hands Of the God who owns all the
hsrvests, and the herds, and the aocks bu,
II you could pay the premiums on a policy
and neglect them, 1t is mean thing for you
10 20 up to Heaven while they 90 into the
poor-house. You, at death, move into man
sion, river front, and they move into two
rooms on the fourth story Of a tenement house
10 back street. When they are out al the
elbowsand knees, the theasth splendid
robe In Heaven will not keep them warm. The
minister may preach splendid sermon over
your remains, and the quartelte may sing like
four angels in the organ loft but your death
will be swindle. You had the means to pro-
vide for the comfort Of your household when
you left II, and you wickedly neglected II.
TO-" says some one, "a have more faith than
you; believe when go out Of this world
the Lord will provide for them" Go to
Blackwell's Island, 60 through all the poor
houses of the country, and will show you
how often God provides for the neglected
children Of neglected. parents. Tha, is He
provides for them through public charity. As
for myself would rather have the Lord pro-
vide for my family 10 a private home, and
through my own industry and paternai and
conjugal faithfulness. "But," says some man,
81 mean Ia the next 10 or 20 years to make a
| great fortune, and so shall leave my family.